


Potter's Pottery is an Awful Name

by gelexiagal123



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Muggle, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Artist Draco Malfoy, Artist Harry Potter, Bisexual Harry Potter, Everyone Is Alive, Fluff, Gay Draco Malfoy, Harry's Parents Are Still Dead, M/M, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Minor Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Teddy Lupin, Painter Draco Malfoy, Pottery Maker Harry Potter, Shop Owner Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:34:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23439268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gelexiagal123/pseuds/gelexiagal123
Summary: Harry Potter is a potter and Draco Malfoy is a painter who needs a new hobby.Buckle your seat belts because this is gonna be cliche as heck.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted a "Harry Potter as a potter" fic but couldn't find one anywhere. Which brings us here...to my own. 
> 
> Enjoy :)

The door chimes as Draco enters the shop. He wasn't really sure why he was there, but he needed a new hobby and Pansy told him to come here. Draco was thankful for his best friend, and, even though he did have his doubts, this did seem like something he could potentially be interested in. He'd been painting all his life, but lately he's lost his spark. It doesn't bring him the joy that it once did. Instead, it just stresses him out. There's always a deadline to meet or someone else to please and it's just become too much for Draco. So he decided to take a break. Actually, Pansy and his mother decided he was going to take a break because apparently he became “a grumpy old man” every time he talked about a current job. So he finished everything he was working on and decided not to take anymore commissions until he found joy in painting again. Taking a break left him with a problem though. Since he's no longer painting, he doesn't really have anything else he can do. Painting has been his only constant hobby since high school, and now Draco wasn’t sure what to do anymore. He wasn’t even sure what he was good at besides painting. He’s never really done anything else. Sure, he loves to read, but reading wasn’t really something he could be paid for doing and make a living on. No, he needs something to really keep his hands busy or else he's going to go stir-crazy and starve. He’s always been a very hands-on person, and painting was definitely a hands-on activity. 

So that's what brought him here to Potter's Pottery. He can’t help but roll his eyes at the shop’s name. The owner was an artist, and aren’t artists supposed to be artistic and creative? Nevertheless, he continues into the shop. Draco makes his way around the shop slowly. He wants to admire all the pieces of work that obviously took a long time to create. He drags his fingers across some of them, admiring the artwork on the outside as well as the structure itself. He goes through pretty much the entire shop before he continues to make his way towards the empty counter at the back. Draco looks around for a minute, checking to see if there was anybody here that could help him. He hadn’t seen anyone during his self tour of the store, so he finally decides to ring the bell that’s sitting next to the register. 

"Just a second!" he hears a voice call out from upstairs. Draco just rolls his eyes and waits for the man to come downstairs. While waiting for the man, he takes a look around the counter. It’s messy but not unorganized. In fact, he bets that the potter who owns this store knows exactly where everything is. Draco continues to look around the counter before a vase catches his eye. It’s mostly hidden, and it’s probably not something that was truly meant to be seen, but Draco can’t take his eyes off of it. He wants to move closer to get a better look, and just as he’s about to take a step towards it, a messy haired, green-eyed man comes down the stairs. 

"Sorry about the wait, I didn't hear the door chime and my piece was in a precarious state" the man, Harry according to his name tag, says. Draco doesn't hear any of it though; he's too busy staring at the gorgeous man in front of him. 

"Um" Draco stutters. The man just smiles as Draco clears his throat and tries to start over. "It's okay I was just here looking for a new hobby and I thought I might try pottery because I'm a painter but I can't paint anymore or I'm going to go crazy and I can't keep reading because I need something to do with my hands because I don’t know how to sit still for the life of me so anyway I thought 'hey why not pottery' and my friend Pansy had found this place online and so now I'm here and do you offer lessons?" The words stumble out of his mouth before he can stop them and he feels his face flush as he looks down at the floor, embarrassed by the confusing jumble of words that escaped him. 

"Normally we don't offer lessons," Harry starts with a small laugh at Draco’s mess of words, "But I do offer private classes if I have the time and the student truly has an interest" he finishes. Draco stares at him for a minute trying to think of a way to convince Harry that he truly does have an interest, but before he has time to reply, Harry speaks first. "You seem like someone with a lot on their mind, and I can see you being an excellent potter if you put your mind to it."

"Yes!" Draco practically yells. "I want to learn. I'm ready to learn." The man smiles at his eagerness, excited to have someone as excited about pottery as he is. 

"Excellent. I have to finish my current project before I'm ready to start lessons, but that should only take me until the end of the week. Are you available to start on Monday at 4:30? And then we can figure out a schedule from there?" Harry asks Draco.

"I'll be ready for Monday." Draco readily replies. "How much is this going to cost? I can't imagine it's going to be incredibly cheap." 

"Well, cost depends on how many lessons we do, what projects we work on, and how advanced you want to go. We can discuss all the options on Monday, but I really must get back to my project. I have a deadline I need to meet." 

Draco, knowing all about deadlines and the stress they can cause, thanks Harry for his time and shows himself out of the shop. He starts his walk back home, but all he can think about is the dark haired man. 

"Harry" he says, testing how the man’s name sounds with his own voice. He smiles at the feeling and a slight spring is added to his step. He can’t wait to tell Pansy about this new man from the pottery shop.


	2. Chapter 2

This has got to be one of the longest weekends of Draco’s life, and so when Monday finally comes around, he’s practically bouncing off the walls. He had gone home after his meeting with Harry and immediately told Pansy everything. He hadn’t expected to form a crush on his soon-to-be teacher, but Draco just couldn’t stop thinking about Harry. Pansy told him he was just overthinking everything and that he should ask Harry out, but Draco thinks that that’s just crazy. They didn’t even exchange names properly! All Draco knows about Harry is that his name is Harry and that he’s a potter, and all Harry knows about Draco is that he’s a painter who can’t paint anymore. But that doesn’t matter anymore. Today is the day of his first lesson and Draco swears he’s going to make a good impression. He doesn’t care if this becomes a romance, but he’d at least like it to become a friendship. 

As he makes his way towards Potter’s Pottery, he still can’t believe that’s the name of the shop, Draco starts to get nervous. He doesn’t know why exactly, though. He’s not nervous about seeing Harry – he’s had lots of crushes before and he’s definitely not afraid of being a complete fool in front of Harry. No, it’s something else. As he gets closer to the shop, he starts to think that maybe it’s the idea of pottery that’s making him nervous. There’s so many things that could go wrong. Like what if he’s not any good at it? If he’s not any good then there’s no way that he’ll ever make a living off of it. Draco spent long enough trying to accept the idea of pottery as his new hobby and even his potential new job, he doesn’t think he’ll be able to find another one if this doesn’t work out the way he wants it. He’s panicking, he knows he is, and yet he doesn’t know how to make himself calm down. He takes a breath, checks the time, and decides he has enough time to call Pansy before his lesson. 

“Hey, Dray. What is it?” Pansy picks up immediately like Draco knew she would. 

“What if I’m awful? What if pottery isn’t my new calling and everything I make sucks? I don’t want to suck, Pansy.”

“First of all, you do suck. You’re gay, you suck a lot. Second of all, you’re an artist. Yes, this isn’t your usual form of art, but it’s still art. It might take some time getting used to and learning how to properly do it, but I know that if you put your mind to it then you’ll be able to do it. You can do anything, Draco.” He could hear the soft smile in her voice and he was smiling now too. Not only did she make him laugh, but she really did calm him down. 

“How do you always know what to say?” He asks her, “I’m gonna get you back for that gay joke though.” She just laughs at his attempt to be threatening. 

“Sure, I’ll be waiting for it. Now get in there and go flirt with the hot pottery man you were telling me about,” and she hangs up. 

Draco takes a minute after the phone call ends to collect himself. He can do this; he knows he can. He takes a deep breath, puts a smile on his face, and walks into the shop. 

Potter’s Pottery has been slightly rearranged since the last time he was here. Draco truly can’t tell if it’s gotten more full or more empty. Is it possible that both happened? He walks towards the back and admires the pottery again as he makes his way towards the counter. He can feel the smile on his face as he looks at all of the pieces in the room. When he reaches the counter, Draco realizes it’s empty again and starts to wonder if Harry spends any of his time in the shop part of the shop. Just as he’s about to ring the bell to signal to Harry that he’s here, he hears a voice shout from the stairs. 

“You’re here!” Harry calls and meets Draco by the desk. He’s in an apron and has clay smudged on his face, and Draco can’t help but to smile at the cuteness of it all. 

“I am,” Draco replies, “I realized that we never exchanged names when I was here last. I’m Draco.” He puts out a hand for the potter to shake. 

“Harry,” he says and clasps on to Draco’s hand. It’s not quite a handshake, and Draco flushes at the quick contact. “So, are you ready to begin? I figured we could just jump right into the first lesson and see how it goes before setting up more regular ones for the future.” Harry is quick to get to work and Draco just nods his head and follows Harry up the stairs to his workspace. 

“Does anyone else work here?” Draco decides to ask, wondering if their lessons are going to be constantly interrupted by customers coming in to shop. 

“My godsibling, Teddy, is coming in shortly. They usually start work at 4:30, but they're running late today,” Harry says as he grabs a stool for Draco and sets up another workspace for him. 

Draco stares as Harry gets everything set up. He didn’t ask for help, not that Draco would know how, and seems to have it mostly ready anyway. It only takes a few minutes, but Draco has already learned a little bit about Harry from watching him set up. He’s got a small scar on his forehead, he’s right handed, and he’s always brushing the hair out of his face ‒ it’s almost doglike in the way he shakes his head before giving up and using his hands instead. 

It doesn’t take them too long to get started. Harry quickly explains the different types of clay and which one they’re going to start with and gets him started on just playing with it and seeing how it feels in his hands. Once he seems comfortable with it, Harry gets him started with the wheel. Harry warns him that it takes a while to get used to working with a potter’s wheel and tells him that he shouldn’t be disheartened if it’s not quite working out at first. They work for a couple hours as Harry explains different techniques and shows him how to make a simple bowl. He wanted to start Draco off with something smaller since that would be easiest. They work in a comfortable silence, only breaking it when Draco has a question or Harry needs to give more instruction. 

Before they know it, it’s 6:30 and their time is up. Draco helps Harry with the clean up and walks downstairs with him to the desk so they can discuss regular lessons and payments. Draco is serious about the whole pottery thing, and they soon agree to meet 3 times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 4:30. They also agree to a weekly rate of $75 to start and agree that they would up it as needed depending on extra costs for certain projects. 

When Draco leaves the shop, he starts to panic. Today didn’t go as planned at all and he’s starting to stress out. He doesn’t want to fail, but right now that seems to be where pottery is taking him. His bowl, if he could even call it that, was completely awful. It was lopsided and way too thin, and he has no idea if he’s going to be able to get any better. Draco understands that it was his first day and his first ever attempt at pottery, but he’s never been so awful at something before. He almost always succeeds on the first try of something new, or at least he was usually close to succeeding. Draco was quickly losing hope and instead of going home, he changed his route to take him to the nearest bar instead. He needed a drink and a friend, so he called Pansy and told her to meet him at The Hog’s Head. He was going to drink until he stopped thinking and he definitely needed someone there to help make sure he got back home at the end of the night. 


	3. Chapter 3

“I’m absolutely awful, Pansy. I don’t know how many times you need me to tell you this until you finally understand.” Draco has been ranting to Pansy ever since the two of them woke up after their night at The Hog’s Head. 

They hadn’t stayed there for long since Draco was a lightweight and Pansy knew exactly what to get him to make him forget the fastest. He had had about 5 shots before he was hanging off of Pansy and she was hailing a taxi to take them home. Draco was in bed by 9 and out by 9:15, and Pansy had never been happier. 

“I still think you’re overreacting, Dray,” Pansy starts, “You’ve had exactly one lesson that lasted for 2 hours. Nobody can become a pro in that amount of time, not even you.” She sighs and makes her way towards where Draco is sitting at the head of the table. “You need to give it time to become easier before you decide to give up. Plus, if you give up now, you’ll never get a date with Hot Pottery Guy.” She sends a wink Draco’s way and watches with satisfaction as he blushes. 

Draco takes a deep breath, thinking. “I just don’t want to go home and tell my father that I’ve failed yet again,” Draco’s voice shifts, “He has finally accepted that his only son is gay, I don’t need to give him another reason for him to think I’m a disappointment again. I just got him back.” 

Pansy, sensing his mood falling, decides they need to do something to get Draco’s mind off of everything. She quickly decides that they’re going to go shopping. She’s been wanting a new dress and Draco desperately needs a new date night outfit for when he and Hot Pottery Guy eventually go on a date. 

She takes him to the mall and Draco lets her pick out his clothes. He ends up with a nice white button-down, some black skinny jeans, and a black jean jacket. She also talks him into getting a pair of Docs to complete the outfit. The outfit isn’t completely out of his comfort zone, but it’s definitely different. However, Draco’s pretty sure he has these exact jeans at home, but he isn’t going to tell Pansy that. He’s thankful for the trip and for his friend. He definitely needed something to take his mind off of pottery, and this trip to the mall is perfect. 

It doesn’t take them long to find Pansy’s new dress since she knows exactly what she wants and where to find it, and soon they are on their way to grab some dinner before heading back to Draco’s for a movie night. 

They decide to pick up a pizza and rent Love, Simon on their way home. Draco, having seen the movie at least 10 times prior, falls asleep during it without fear of missing out on anything, and it isn’t long after the movie ends that Pansy falls asleep too, both of them curled up on Draco’s couch. 

Before Draco knows it, it’s morning. This, of course, means it’s Wednesday, and he has another night of pottery scheduled with Harry. 

The day passes by slowly, and Draco gets more and more anxious as it continues. He feels better after his day with Pansy, but he’s still nervous about it all. Draco really doesn’t want to fail, and he definitely can’t tell his father that he did, so he continues to push through the day. Soon enough the clock strikes 4 and he starts his walk to Potter’s Pottery. 

Harry and Draco get started as soon as Draco arrives, and Draco tries to calm his nerves during the lesson. It goes by quicker than the rest of the day has, and Draco is almost sad by the time it’s over. He’s definitely still got a long way to go before he can call himself a potter, but he does feel slightly more confident about today’s lesson. He made an actually bowl-shaped bowl, and even though it is slightly lopsided, he’s excited to show Pansy. Draco knows he can’t disappoint her like he has disappointed so many others in his life, and he’s truly proud to call her his best friend. 

The next week and a half passes by in a blur with Draco focusing on nothing except for pottery and Pansy. Soon, Draco is on his 6th lesson with Harry, and he’s feeling much better about his own pottery. Even though nothing has been quite perfect yet, he has some creations that are pretty damn close.

Draco is proud of himself. Harry has been an excellent teacher, and Draco doesn’t think he could have asked for a better one. Harry has been extremely kind and patient throughout the entire process, and it definitely helps Draco’s confidence in himself and his creations. Today, they are working on vases. Draco’s is almost finished, and he’s pretty happy with his work today. It’s definitely the best thing he has made so far, and he’s actually looking forward to painting it afterward too. When the lesson on vases started, Draco immediately knew he was going to make one for Pansy. He wants to show her how thankful he is that she helped convince him to go with pottery. He thinks about it and ends up deciding to paint black pansies on the outside of the vase when it’s finished. She may be slightly embarrassed about it, but Pansy’s favorite flower has always been pansies. 

He finishes the vase just as the lesson is over, and he hands it off to Harry so it can be put in the kiln later. He’s being extra careful today, and he knows that Harry has noticed, though he hasn’t said anything. Draco’s thankful. He’s lucky that he’s found such a great teacher, and it looks like they might become real friends too.

Throughout their lessons, Harry and he have been talking quite a bit – and not just about pottery. Draco has filled Harry in on why he was really looking for a new hobby, and Harry has talked a little about his home life. Harry has been shyer towards opening up to Draco, but he can tell that it’ll happen eventually. After all, they can only talk about pottery for so long before they just end up repeating the same things over and over again. 

Draco thanks Harry as he leaves and, before he’s even out the door, begins to look forward to their next lesson together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll dive deeper soon!!


	4. Chapter 4

Draco’s early. He knows this. But he can’t help and continue on to the shop anyway. He has been counting down the minutes since his last lesson and he’s excited to finally be back. It’s only been the weekend, but he has really missed it. Draco has missed the calmness that comes with making the different pieces and he’s missed working with Harry so close by. 

Draco and Harry’s relationship is interesting. They’re definitely friends, but they aren’t close enough friends to be talking outside of Draco’s lessons. In fact, they don’t know much about each other besides the basic things. Like Draco knows that Harry has a godsibling named Teddy, but he doesn’t know who Harry’s parents are and the reason that he doesn’t live with them. And Harry knows that Draco is (was?) an artist, but he doesn’t quite know the full reason that Draco decided he couldn’t do it anymore. In fact, they barely know anything about each other; they’ve only scratched the surface while they’ve been talking. Draco decides he needs to change that. He knows that they’re friends, but he wants to be closer to Harry. He wants to understand him. 

As Draco nears the shop, he catches sight of someone smoking out front. He’s never had the urge to smoke before, but he has always had a strange fascination with watching others smoke. He stops at the corner of the street, watching the smoker, barely out of their sight. He watches as the mystery person brings the cigarette back up to their mouth before breathing the smoke back out. Draco stares for a little while longer before looking down at his watch and realizing he should head to the shop so he can look around at Harry’s pieces before his lesson with Harry actually begins. 

Rounding the corner, Draco starts to finish his walk to the shop, but as Draco gets closer, he stops in his tracks. It’s Harry. Harry is the smoker. Harry smokes. And he looks extremely hot while doing so. Draco doesn’t quite know how to process this information; he just stares as Harry takes another drag of the cigarette. He doesn’t know how long he stares, but eventually, Harry realizes he’s being watched and turns his gaze towards Draco. Harry coughs and shuffles his feet at the sight of Draco. Harry’s cough startles Draco out of his stare and he decides to take another step towards Harry. 

“I didn’t know you smoked,” Draco says, pleased with this new discovery.

“Yeah, I do. I hope that’s not an issue or anything,” Harry replies curtly. He doesn’t know why Draco was staring like he was, but he can only imagine it was because he was disgusted by Harry’s bad habit. 

“No. No, not at all,” Draco rushes to get out in fear of upsetting Harry. “I know I’m early, but I was hoping to have a look around the shop at some of your pieces before we started today so I’m just going to head inside,” Draco finishes and heads into the shop before he can make a fool of himself. His little crush just became instantly larger and he can feel himself starting to blush about the entire situation. 

Once inside the shop, Draco immediately heads straight for the right side of the room where his favorite items are. There’s a small collection of bird-related items that caught his attention the very first time he had really looked around. Draco has always loved birds. He loves the way that they move and how many different kinds there are in the world. The amount of bird-related pictures he’s drawn in his career is high: they’re one of the few things that Draco used to paint for himself. There is just something about birds that have always spoken to him, and the ones on these pieces of pottery are no different. 

Most of the birds were in flight and that was what originally stood out to Draco. They looked so free while flying around on their plates and mugs. But there was one item that Draco loved more than the rest: a medium-sized teapot with a simple bird sitting in its nest painted on the side. It looks so happy and carefree in its nest﹘like it knows it can be whoever it wants to be. The bird has a home of its own and can do whatever it wants. Draco wants that too. He wants to build his own life and be who he is without any fear of disappointing his friends and family. He wants to be carefree. He wants a home of his own where he can be whoever he wants to be.

It was almost time for his lesson with Harry, and Draco decides that today is the day that he’s going to buy the teapot. He grabs it and heads up to the counter to pay, and he’s surprised to find Teddy there. He hadn’t seen them when he first came in, though he wasn’t really looking. 

“Hey, Teddy! How’s it going?” Draco asks. He hasn’t talked to Teddy much in the past, but if their turquoise hair was anything to go by, they were definitely someone Draco hoped to get to know in the future. 

“Eh. It’s been better. I see you’re finally getting the teapot that you’ve spent the last four weeks staring at,” Teddy easily replies, a hint of teasing in their tone.

“Yeah,” Draco laughs, “I decided it was time.” 

“Well, I’m glad it’s going to get a good home.” Teddy finishes ringing Draco up just as Harry is making his way back inside and towards them. He reaches the counter just as Teddy finishes wrapping the teapot so it doesn’t break before Draco can get it home. “Here you go, Draco. Take good care of it, yeah?”

Draco doesn’t know why, but he feels like Teddy isn’t talking about the teapot. He nods his head, though, and takes the bag from Teddy before turning to Harry gesturing for him to lead the way. 

They work in silence for a while after Harry gets him started on a mug. It’s one of the simpler things they’ve done, but Draco had expressed to Harry last week that he wanted to make something for his mom, and together they decided on a mug since she loves tea so much. 

“So what did you buy earlier? A present for your girlfriend?” Harry asks awkwardly, breaking the silence. 

The question startles Draco and he accidentally squeezes too hard on a portion of the clay, causing him to mess up. 

“I’m sorry, what?” Draco asks, still taken off guard by the random question. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude,” Harry starts, “I was just curious if you were getting a present for Pansy,” he finishes and Draco immediately bursts out laughing. 

“Pansy is not my girlfriend, Harry,” he says as his laughter dies out. “I’m gay.” 

The silence is deafening as Draco watches Harry’s face and waits for his reply. 

“You’re gay?” Harry’s surprise is evident in his answer to Draco’s confession and Draco can feel the tension building in the room. 

“Yeah, I am.” His answer is short and his voice is thick. Harry hadn’t seemed like the kind of guy who would be homophobic, but maybe Draco read the situation wrong. After all, they didn’t really know each other that well, did they? Harry just gave him pottery lessons and they talked about the weather and the shop. Why did Draco expect this to be absolutely fine? 

The emotion in Draco’s voice seems to snap Harry out of his trance and he scrambles to say something. “That’s cool. I mean I was definitely surprised and all because you talk about Pansy a lot and you made that vase for her and so I just assumed that you guys were together but you’re gay so you’re obviously not dating her and now I’m rambling and you probably think I’m homophobic but I swear that I’m not I was just surprised.” 

Draco just stares at Harry. He meets his eyes and they watch each other for a moment before Draco shakes his head and starts to stand up. “I should go-”

“No!” Harry says, quickly cutting him off. “That all came out wrong. I’m not homophobic, I swear. I’m bisexual, actually.” 

Draco sits back down in shock. Harry wasn’t homophobic; he was bisexual. This might be the best lesson Draco has had yet. 

“Oh. Well, that’s great,” Draco says and cringes as he does. Luckily for him, some of the tension has lifted from the room and they both laugh as they catch each other’s eye again. Draco shakes his head a little and goes back to his mug. He decides he needs to start over and begins the process over again. 

The two continue to work in silence for the rest of the lesson, a new understanding in the air. Draco finishes his mug by the time their lesson comes to an end, and he sticks around a little longer to help Harry clean up the day’s mess. By the time Harry walks him out, there isn’t a trace of awkwardness left between the two of them.

As Draco starts his walk back home, he risks a second glance back at Harry, only to catch him still watching him walk away. Draco gives a small wave before turning back around with a slight smile on his face and an extra skip in his step.


	5. Chapter 5

After their last lesson, Draco is a little wary to go back. He doesn’t understand why though. Nothing bad happened last time; if anything he should be excited to go back and have the chance to learn more about Harry. However, he still can’t quite find it in himself to get as excited as he normally would. Draco is nervous. The fact that Harry was bisexual meant that there is a chance for them after all, and that idea is terrifying. It is one thing to say he is gay, but it is another thing to actually act on his feelings and start a relationship with another man. He knows that, deep down, his mother still hopes he will find a woman to marry and have children with so they can continue the Malfoy bloodline. And he knows that an actual relationship with a man could ruin what was left of his relationship with his father. Is Draco willing to risk his family for this? 

Apparently the answer is yes because as Draco steps into Potter’s Pottery, all his nerves melt away. He is giddy with excitement at the thought of getting to spend two hours with Harry, alone. A thought pops into Draco’s head that maybe since they shared their sexualities last lesson, maybe they could continue sharing stuff today too. He shakes his head at himself, trying not to get too worked up, and heads up to the front counter to speak with Teddy.

“Hey! Draco!” Teddy says excitedly, “How’s your new teapot treating you?”

“I’d say pretty great. I haven’t had the courage to actually use it, though, so it’s just hanging out on a shelf in my kitchen,” Draco easily replies. “Harry upstairs?” 

“Yep! He’s been waiting for you all day,” they say with a wink. 

It confuses Draco, but he brushes it off as just another Teddy mannerism. He sends a nod in Teddy’s direction and then heads upstairs to find Harry. 

Their workspace is messier than usual, and it takes him a minute to spot Harry. Instead of working on a new piece like normal, he’s in the back corner at a desk that Draco hasn’t noticed before. He gives a sharp knock on the door frame to alert Harry of his presence before stepping into the room further. 

“Oh! Draco, hi. Sorry, I meant to clean up earlier but this guy called about the rent and so I had to get all of that figured out and I guess I lost track of time,” Harry says, standing and making his way towards Draco.

“That’s quite alright. I understand how demanding landlords can be. Would you like some help cleaning up? Instead of my lesson, we could clean and then maybe go out afterward?”

Harry seems taken back by the offer to help clean, but he readily accepts, clearly tired from the day. They get to work quickly, with Harry only having to point out where things go a few times, and they work in mostly silence. It’s not awkward. In fact, it’s actually quite nice. Draco enjoys spending time with Harry, even if it’s just cleaning up an extremely messy workplace, and it feels like Harry might too. After all, he did accept Draco’s offer to go out. He doesn’t know if it’s a date, but even if they’re just going out as friends, Draco is excited at the chance to get to know Harry better. 

Before they know it, the entire area is clean and they’re on their way out. Harry tells Teddy they can close up early as the two leave, and Draco swears he’s never seen Teddy smile so big. Once outside the shop, Draco and Harry decide to go to a local pub to get some dinner. It’s not far from Potter’s Pottery, so they end up walking there.

It doesn’t take them long, and soon the two of them are sitting across from each other sharing a double order of mozzarella sticks. It feels awfully like a date to Draco, but he tries to keep that thought out of his mind in an attempt to keep himself from getting too awkward. They’re keeping the conversation light, but it doesn’t take long for Draco to break and ask what he’s been wanting for the past few weeks. 

“What happened to your birth parents?” he asks, and even he can hear the weariness in his voice. 

Harry just stares at him, and Draco starts to regret asking the question. “You know what? Nevermind. You don’t have to answer that, I’m sorry,” Draco says, hoping they can just move on from this. 

“No, it’s okay. You just caught me off guard a little,” Harry starts shakily, “They were killed when I was a baby. I barely remember them, but my godfather and his husband happily took me in, and I’ve been living with them ever since,” he finishes with a slight smile on his face. He may not remember his birth parents much, but Draco can tell that Harry cares deeply about the family that took him in.

Draco feels awful for bringing up such a sad memory for Harry, but when he says as much to him, Harry just brushes him off. 

“It’s okay, really. I love Sirius and Remus and having a godsibling like Teddy is incredible. They’re my family, and I’m glad they took me in. What’s it like for you at home?”

Draco should’ve seen this moment coming, especially after bringing up Harry’s family, but it doesn’t make it any easier for him to admit to Harry that his father is an asshole who barely talks to him because of his sexuality. Draco is lucky his mom loves him so much, but he has almost no hope for a good relationship with his father again (especially if he starts dating a man). 

Harry is practically fuming by the time Draco finishes his short story about his parents, so Draco does his best to convince him that it’s okay before changing the subject. 

“So, you’re bisexual? How’d you figure it all out?” Draco asks, hoping to maybe get some confirmation that he was single.

“Yeah. Figuring it out was a wild ride, but everyone was pretty accepting,” Harry starts, “Actually, I had been dating my best friend’s sister when I figured it all out,” he laughs, “Then I figured out I was more attracted to their older brother than I was Ginny. She took it quite well though, and now she’s dating our friend, Luna.” 

Harry finishes the story with a small shake of his head and a smile on his face. Draco could tell how happy his friends and family made him, and it made his heart happy that Harry was so happy.

“What about you? How did you figure out you were gay?” Harry asks, bringing the conversation back to Draco.

“I don’t really know. I think I always sort of had a feeling that I was different from the other boys in my class. I did date Pansy for a while, though, while we were in school, and I think she figured out I was gay before I figured it out myself. She’s always been good at reading me.” 

Draco can remember the exact moment Pansy figured it out, actually. They had been laying on his bed, him reading a book and her painting her nails, and she suddenly just stopped and looked up at him. Draco can remember her staring for a long time before she told him that they needed to break up because she didn’t want to be his beard. 

After a long talk with Pansy about what a beard was, he finally realized that she was right. He didn’t exactly enjoy kissing her, and he definitely looked at the other boys in his class longer than he should have. 

Thinking back on it now, Draco doesn’t quite understand why it took him so long to figure it out. He’s glad he had Pansy through all of it though. She has always been a shoulder he could lean on, and Draco really appreciates her. 

“I’m so glad to have a friend I can talk to about all of this stuff,” Harry starts, bringing Draco back to the present, “It’s nice that you actually understand.”

Draco just smiles, but he feels himself deflate. 

Friends. They were friends. 

Dinner doesn’t last much longer after that, both of them having early mornings the next day. Soon they’re standing by the doors, saying goodbye before they head off into different directions. This time Draco does his best not to look back, only allowing himself a half-turn of his head when he reaches the corner, before continuing the rest of the way home with his head down and a sad expression on his face. 

**Author's Note:**

> More characters coming in soon :)


End file.
